Comfort in the Turmoil
by Alison May
Summary: Kara and Helo return safely from Caprica to the Galactica and find themselves drawn to each other.


Author's note: this is set sometime after the first season finale. It is more about the relationships that would occur if Helo, Kara, and the Caprica Boomer all made it safely back to the Galactica than the details about how they got there.

When Kara Thrace returned to Galatica, once again life as she knew it changed. Commander Adama had been shot. Boomer was a cylon. And despite everything or because of it, Lee hated her. She and Helo had made it successfully back to the Galatica with the pregnant Boomer. Both of them had returned to a difficult situation. And they had come to find themselves in a position neither of them would have ever predicted.

And so Kara found herself walking into the temporary quarters assigned to Helo. He lay on his bunk with his back to her, but she had done this enough times to know he wasn't sleeping. She removed her jacket and boots and climbed in bed with him, kissing his neck softly. He turned to face her and kissed her forcefully for a moment before pulling back.

"We shouldn't be doing this." Helo said, attempting to sit up.

"Shhh." Kara responded and pushed him back down. She pealed off her regulation tank tops and he did the same. She kissed him again, fiercely this time, trying to draw all the comfort she could out of his lips. After a minute he jerked back abruptly and stood up. Even Kara's naturally quickly reflexes couldn't keep her from landing on the floor.

"We really shouldn't be doing this, Kara." Helo told her somewhat desperately.

"One of us always says that. We never mean it." Kara told him as she pulled herself off the floor and back onto his bed.

"Do you have any idea how fracked up this is? We are both in love with someone else!" Helo responded, keeping as substantial a distance from Kara as was possible in the small room that barely fit his bed.

"You're in love with a Cylon, Helo! How fracked up is that?" Kara realized the venom of her words and closed the small space between them.

"I'm sorry." She said and touched the side of his face gently. He kissed her hand and then covered it with his own and lowered them.

"Kara, Lee isn't a Cylon. Or dead. He is here." He said as gently as he could.

"Lords! Didn't we agree not to talk about this?" she exclaimed and tried to pull away but he refused to let go.

"We never agreed on anything. Usually we don't talk at all." Helo smiled slightly and Kara relaxed minutely.

"But, Kara, Lee knows about the two of us." Helo spoke determinedly and raised a hand to silence her response.

"He heard the rumors and asked me flat out. And he is the only other person who has even tried to be friendly since I've been back. I consider him a friend. So what could I do?" he finished softly.

"What did you do?" Kara tried to ask the question calmly.

"I told him he had to talk to you. And he punched me." He touched his jaw tenderly and Kara could now see the faint blue traces of a bruise forming.

"I'm sorry." Kara answered after a pause.

"We both should be. Lee didn't hate you for sleeping with Baltar. He was surprised and disappointed but not angry. But what, then you tried to remedy it with sleeping with me? I don't understand." Helo said gently.

"I don't like needing anyone." Kara admitted softly.

"The only thing that comes close to being as crazy as loving a Cylon is trying to frack everyone in sight to forget your true feelings!" Helo responded.

"If that's how you feel, I can find some else to, as you so eloquently put it, "frack" Kara tried to move around Helo to get to the door but he blocked her with his body.

"You know that's not what I meant. You are the most courageous person I know. I don't like helping you hide from your problems."

"Is wanting to be with you such a crime?" Kara asked. Helo took her gently by the arm and sat her down on the edge of the bed next to him. She started to resist but he pulled insistently.

"It wouldn't be if you really wanted me. But you just want whatever temporary solace I can give you."

"I should go." Kara said guardedly.

"You don't need to leave. But we do have to revaluate our relationship." He returned with a tentative smile.

"So no more fun parts?" Kara said with a straight face.

"Hey, I'm a winning conversationalist!" Helo moved to recline on his bed and started to pull Kara down with him but paused when he realized that Kara was still only wearing pants and a bra.

"But, Kara, can you put your shirt back on? You're distracting in a way I can't handle right now." Helo teased and Kara smiled somewhat sadly as she retrieved her shirt. She knew that they had come to some kind of a crossroads in their relationship, one that would probably have both of them completely clothed from now on. She lay back down and he put his arms around her. He hadn't redressed and she savored the feeling of the bare skin of his chest against her face as he held her.

"So what do we do?" she whispered softly, half hoping he wouldn't hear her.

"I have absolutely no idea, but right now we sleep." he answered, knowing fully that neither would be able to sleep now and he had to be on duty in a matter of hours.

As if by mutual consent neither spoke and they simply enjoyed the feeling of comfort and closeness that the physical nature of their relationship had afforded them until this point. And both were achingly aware of the probability that they held each other for the last time.


End file.
